ESPN's Rece Davis bullish on Texas, even if he sees a Bama win on Saturday
For the first time since 2019, ESPN’s College GameDay is in Austin, Texas, broadcasting live on the UT campus ahead of Texas’ matchup with the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide.
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GameDay’s host, Rece Davis, was forthright about Texas’ chances in the high-profile contest; he thinks Alabama covers and will pull away late. He specifically pointed to experienced Crimson Tide defenders like Will Anderson, Dallas Turner, Chris Braswell, and Henry To’o To’o as some of the players who will make life difficult for the young Texas offense. Of course, reigning Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young is traveling from Tuscaloosa, Ala. with them, and will have his effect the game.
Though he predicted an Alabama win, Davis expects a raucous atmosphere at DKR. How much of a difference it will make is to be determined, but it’s part of an environment Davis can’t wait to witness.
“It’ll be loud and like a cauldron in there come 11 a.m. local time,” Davis said Friday.
Davis was also optimistic about the future of the Texas program under head coach Steve Sarkisian, but was sure to note Saturday might not be the program’s finest day.
“What’s not to like?” Davis said Friday. “It’s going to be great here. I don’t think great is going to start Saturday. It might! He kind of downplayed the idea of this being a defining game. Well, if you win it is! But you can’t win it and do what A&M did last year and go back to 8-4, because that’s just an upset.”
Davis still thinks Sarkisian will take his chances downfield against the Crimson Tide defense. He even thinks the Longhorns could find success on a few of those opportunities, but he sees the Crimson Tide doing what they do best in the end.
“Texas will score early, the place will be going nuts, and it’ll be back and forth for a while,” Davis said. “Then a little bit, little bit, little bit, it’s going to be right at that number if (the Crimson Tide) cover.”
While bearish on Texas’ Saturday chances, Davis is bullish on the Longhorn program under Sarkisian and the athletic department’s commitment to letting the second-year head coach build his program the way he sees fit.
“Just watching from afar, I think you see a connection and direction, a commitment to him,” Davis said. “The understanding (is) that the constant turnover in the head coaching position is not good. Even with the way they finished last season, there wasn’t this outcry of ‘he better win this year or we’re going to change again!’ I think there’s a lot of strength that can be found in that, by some commitment to believing Steve’s the guy. He’ll do a good job in the long term, and I think that he will.”
How soon will Texas be a top program? Even with players like Quinn Ewers on the roster, who Davis said should be able to park by the Tower for life if he leads the Longhorns to victory on Saturday, Texas is still early in the process of turning things around according to the ESPN host.
“I think they’re still another recruiting class or two of moving into the upper echelon of the sport with Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia, Clemson, people like that,” Davis said. “They’re probably more talent acquisition away from that, but they’re certainly off to a great start.”
Davis, David Pollack, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, and Lee Corso will broadcast ESPN’s College GameDay live from the LBJ Lawn just northeast of Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium starting at 8 a.m. on Saturday.
